Unfortunate puns, deliberate or otherwise, abound in the wake of the Queensland floods. Plus, in times of national tragedy it’s paramount that people have access to their favourite ale. You multiply that by a factor of 1000 when it comes to Queenslanders and XXXX.
January, 2011
Political snippets: Gillard and the ministry for funny coats
What is it about politicians that they love to get into fancy dress whenever they make an appearance with members of the military?
Video of the Day: Mr Hu goes to Washington
A look at Chinese President Hu Jintao’s trip to the US, by the gurus of news animation, NMA. President Hu takes over the oval office, gets presented with a made in China cowboy hat and visits a local Hooters.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
Fairfax goes shopping. The “secret” project at Fairfax is not “Project X” … it’s Project Web-X. Fairfax is partnering with venture capitalists and selected entrepreneurial staff (apparently there are four) to create, develop and market new online businesses. The thinking being that these staff would leave if not offered this opportunity. The key seems to be […]
Vintage First Dog: the parable of the intern and the getting of the coffee
Today’s cartoon is from 10 November, 2009.
Crikey Says: Brown buries the lede
Never let it be said that Bob Brown isn’t good at burying a lede. You don’t need to be a spin merchant to know that using terms like “culprits” and “coal barons” in the days after the floods is not a great idea.
Hey studios: when you raid your vaults, don’t forget the telly
Movie and DVD distribution companies are increasingly filing through their back catalogues and re-releasing restored versions of obscure features. That’s an exciting development for film nerds but low-demand television programs shouldn’t be forgotten either, writes TV blogger Dan Barrett.
MacKerras: the conservative case for electoral reform across the Anglosphere
The Conservative Party got the better of the Liberal-Democrats in the negotiations for coalition government. And a new electoral reform agenda will likely go their way, too.
Farmers on Twitter: hashtags over harvesters
They might be more familiar with harvesters than hashtags, but a growing community of Australian farmers are embracing Twitter as a tool to communicate, particularly in light of the recent floods, explains Amber Jamieson.
Video 
Social media’s imperative role in Queensland floods recovery
This report from ABC News traces the influence social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter have had in spreading awareness and assisting in recovering efforts for the Queensland floods.
How World of Warcraft became a form of divorce counseling
Robin Kirk was skeptical of the epic video game World of Warcraft until it helped her through her divorce, extolling the virtues of triumph over adversity in a way that weirdly resembled her real life situation.
The new X-Men: superheroes or supermodels?
New cast photographs for the upcoming X-Men Fist Class are glossy, tacky and just plain strange. One of the characters appears to be wearing a sparkle bra and the actors look like “a bad improv troupe,” says Meredith Woerner.
A new type of Commonwealth
Crikey media wrap: Top-level meetings between Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, Defence Minister Stephen Smith and their UK contemporaries, were declared “the most substantial British visit to Australia in many decades.”
The best Gov 2.0 innovations
The Government 2.0 movement encourages online projects to provide citizens and government direct ways to communication and collaborate. Darren Sharp compiles ten of the best from around the world, including a bunch from Australia.
A victory for dead smokers
French lawmakers have voted to end a draconian anti-smoking rule that deprived iconic Gallic puffers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Coco Chanel of their cigarettes in posters or photos, reports Richard Farmer.
The sly genius of the hotel photo fakeout
Ever wondered why the holiday destination you visited doesn’t match up to the brochure? Hotels often use an advertising technique dubbed the “hotel photo fakeout,” using tactics like precise framing and strategic zoom-ins to sell the sizzle and not the sausage.
Australia day with a twist: anyone for snow cricket?
There there snags, beers, a game of backyard cricket and an argument over the merits of the Triple J Hottest 100. It was an average Australia Day but with one slight difference: Jay Martin was in Warsaw, Poland, where the temperature was minus 25 and the ground was covered in a metre of snow.
Two presidents, 200 new Boeings and one great big lie
The American media has been quick to nail Boeing and two presidents - Hu Jintao and Barack Obama - for pushing a great big lie about China ordering 200 new jet airliners. But not quick enough to prevent Boeing stock investors being ripped off by a spike caused by contrived euphoria, writes Ben Sandilands.
film reviews The Green Hornet — not much sting, but it flies
Superhero movies have a way of sucking the credibility out of Hollywood actors but Seth Rogen emerges unscathed from filmmaker Michel Gondry’s adaption of The Green Hornet, which is enjoyable enough but lacks the director’s playful style, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Is Lance Armstrong’s legacy in doubt?
Lance Armstrong came 81st in the first stage of the Tour Down Under but that may be the least of his worries. There is rising speculation Armstrong will withdraw from the tour early and ongoing controversy concerning possible drug use, writes Bob Gosford.
interviews Being John Malkovich: why we may never know
What’s it really like being John Malkovich? The celebrated actor gave little away in conversation with fellow artist Jim Sharman as part of the Sydney Festival. Curtain Call’s Lloyd Bradford Syke tried to tap into an alchemical, impenetrable charisma.
Sydney gets festive: the best shows reviewed
The Sydney Festival is in full swing at venues across the Harbour City. Curtain Call loved Snow On Mars and My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, along with this intriguing theatrical installation at Darling Harbour, Power Plant.
Operation Bounce Back = Operation ratings?
It’s amazing how spontaneous live television can be. Just ask Sunrise’s David ‘Kochie’ Koch, who’s interview with Queensland Premier Anna Bligh yesterday ended in a fantastic idea to organise tradies to help with the reconstruction, dubbed Operation Bounce Back, writes Emma Buckley Lennox.
Big Ted and the climate change blame game
No single event can ever be shown to be “caused” by a long-term trend: not because the evidence isn’t there, but because the question is unanswerable in principle. Causation just doesn’t work like that.
